"Before you go for another coffee, soda, Frappuccino, or latte, it may help you to wonder if you may be tired from taking on so much of life at this frenzied pace that our adrenalized society asks for."

I often wonder who I would have been if Hilary had been elected. Actually, more often, I wonder who my partner, Patrick, would have been? I see him get irate on a regular basis over the state of the nation and it isn't fun. For me, I am committed to being more happy...in little ways, more and more, no matter what. That means I give my attention to what I can control and do my best to forsake all else. Still, I veer from that and sometimes wonder......?
It’s been 2-years since the election, I got an earful of upset this morning, he posted on Facebook, yet the ballot sitting on his desk remains blank as he still hasn’t looked into the Attorneys General or the propositions up for election. As Bob Newhart might say, if you are choosing to look at the very politics that annoy and disturb you, "stop it!"
Why would someone choose to be annoyed and disturbed? I debated putting a question mark at the end of that sentence because it’s rhetorical, or rather I don’t really want to know why. The way I see it, giving your attention to something that so obviously upsets oneself is akin to an alcoholic who keeps going back for more, all the while loved ones look on in utter confusion and dismay not understanding the first thing about addiction.
Are those that continue to disturb themselves (and their loved ones) with their fury-filled post-political observations addicted then? My mentors would say yes. They would say it is an addiction and it’s threaded through nearly everything right now. My mentors are Katie and Gay Hendricks and they believe that the most addictive substance on the planet is, in fact, adrenaline.
“Try this on: I release and I accept that I have no control over ________. Then breathe. Haha don't forget to breathe! Try this three times."
I, myself, have felt microcurrents of it since I began this page, ironically, in an effort to advise all of us toward more pure happiness. I felt it when I suggested, in the second paragraph, that my partner is doing it “wrong.” And that’s the problem with adrenaline, it’s sneaky and it’s everywhere. Try it out: you also may notice it, ever so faintly, when you give even a small “tisk tisk” to someone or something you disapprove of too.
Unfortunately, more of us won’t notice it than will because we are so bathed in it that the subtle hints go by like nothing. A quiet judgement inside is like O'Doul's while a good full-out criticism is like wine, and arguments are the big hit…40 proof. I see it in my coaching practice a lot. People will choose adrenaline instead of curiosity. An old pattern that ills a relationship instead of wondering how to be allies. It’s an addiction.
I’d love to offer a scientific notation right here but I am choosing to continue on for now and offer you to simply look at life. Look at what’s current. Look at the media. Very nearly all of life is media now. I offer you to observe billboards, social media, movies, television, story-lines, store-fronts, news, sports, politics. All of it is meant to get your heart rate up.
I once thought it was a conspiracy theory to think “they” are trying to dumb down society and keep us all in little boxes so we would work and shut up and keep the “machine” going. Today, well, I don’t know what’s true except that I see most of us doing just that with our narrow preferences for products, teams, or political party.
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We are so medicated, caffeinated, and sugared up in-between our media viewing that sometimes all I see is numbed out adrenalized people everywhere every single day. Is it because of “the man?” Who cares! What is worth caring about is that while adrenaline may be glorified in our society by “the man,” it is not what creates satisfaction, happiness, and longevity. It is literally bad for your health and it does dumb down your ability to notice your own feelings and make choiceful responses to life.
My invitation today is to notice how amped up things are. You may think to yourself that actually you’re tired, worn out, and maybe could use some adrenaline, but, if you take a moment to reflect, you may notice that you’re worn out on adrenaline, caffeine, or sugar. I wore out my adrenal glands on peppy diet pills 20 years ago and have a low tolerance for adrenaline still. Adrenaline is not sustainable. Before you go for another coffee, soda, Frappuccino, or latte, it may help you to wonder if you may be tired from taking on so much of life at this frenzied pace that our adrenalized society asks for.
Also, take stock of how often you choose to give your attention to things you can’t control. Anytime you feel less than satisfied, assume you are wanting to control something you can’t control. Try this on: I release and I accept that I have no control over _______. Then breathe. Haha don’t forget to breathe! Try this three times.
Notice what you notice. Can you lighten your load or do you want to argue with yourself? If there is an argument instead of a relaxation in your practice of this, it's probably from your upbringing. Try on: I release and I accept that I have no control over what my parents think of me. Connect to your heart, to your Essence self, breathe, and try three more.
Here are mine: I release and I accept that I have no control over how my partner responds to politics. If my blog post is paid attention to. Whether I get invited to a meditation retreat. Whether the guy I spoke with last week decides to work with me. What my mother-in-law thinks of me. Etc, etc, etc... I find it very relaxing to release effort and worry over anything! Hope you do too, and, I release and I accept that I have no control....
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